Russo-Ukraine War CMBS Tournament

RUSSO-UKRAINE WAR
CMBS TOURNAMENT

Example of CMBS Gameplay by Simple Wine. This is not a scenario used in the Tournament

Ethical Disclaimer

Fight Club International condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and mourns its human cost.
This tournament studies the conflict to learn, not justify. Playing as Russian forces does not imply endorsement; understanding an adversary is vital to professional education.

This event is purely for competitive learning and shared development.

TL:DR

What: Inter-chapter online tournament using 3x community created Combat Mission: Black Sea Scenarios, ending with a Mariupol urban finale.

Why: Foster community competition, increase member camaraderie, develop awareness of Russo-Ukraine War, and explore modern urban warfare.

When: Oct 2025 – Feb 2026. Games played asynchronously.

How: Teams plan, play, and review three precursor scenarios before the finale. Mirror matches ensure fairness.

Who: Each FCI chapter fields up to four 4-person teams. Extras form mixed-region leagues. You must sign up to FCI to compete in the tournament.

How This Works

The Russo-Ukraine War Tournament is an inter-chapter initiative designed to test participants’ tactical acumen by pitting teams against one another using Combat Mission: Black Sea (CMBS), a commercial off-the-shelf simulation of modern combined arms combat, with community modifications. Participants must be a signed up member of FCI to participate.

Duration

The Tournament will run from 27 October until the end of February to coincide with the 4 year anniversary of the battle. Individual participation is expected to require 1-3 hours a week from each member of the team.

STAGE 1: 27 Oct to 5 Jan (may start later if sign ups are not forthcoming) - all teams compete in this stage.

STAGE 2: 5 Jan to 28 Feb (may commence earlier if all STAGE 1 games are complete) - only top scoring teams will progress to this stage.

Organisation

TEAMS will be formed into LEAGUES of 4 teams by chapter/geographic location/time-zone.

Each team plays 3x MATCHES in STAGE 1 against the other teams in their LEAGUE. Each MATCH consists of 2x GAMES in a unique scenario one played as the Ukrainians and the other as the Russians.

As all players have the software any player of the team can play any game and different players can play different turns within the same game. This keeps play progressing despite individual unavailability.

Teams must create a PLAN before each Game starts and an After Action Review (AAR) after each game ends to score additional points.

Scenarios

The scenario planning material (not the game files) will be released once teams have been formed. There is a mixture of Rural and Urban environments and infantry, mechanized and indirect fire assets on both sides. Each side will command roughly a company of troops. The missions have varied time limits but will last no longer than 60 minutes. Due to the game software's limitations around drones we have chosen scenarios that reflect the early war paradigm. The finale will be set in a section of the city of Mariupol and involve grueling urban combat.

Scoring Methodology

The scoring system is a hybrid of planning/reflection and execution.

For each Game 200pts are available to be scored as follows:

1. Plan (Order): Up to 50pts assessed by a team of non participating FCI members

2. Execute: Up to 100pts based on the scenario end screen result

3. After Action Review (AAR): Up to 50pts assessed by a team of non participating FCI members

Penalties:

Failure to finish the scenario by the stated deadline will incur 1pt deduction for both teams for each minute that remains on the scenario clock.
If a team is unresponsive for a week that team will forfeit that game and their opposing team will be awarded a draw.

Stage 2 Filter:

The highest scoring team in each league will progress through to the finale.

Results

TOTAL RESULTS

Team 8 was the clear winner of the Tournament beating all other teams. Team 2 a respectable winner of their league and second overall. Due to the time taken to conduct the tournament the finale mission was not played.

BATTLE RESULTS

Below are the combat results of each mirror match between the teams. Where 0 points were awarded this was due to a team being unresponsive over the prescribed period of time.

Mission Files

Click the buttons below to access the mission files and briefing materials.

All missions were produced by members of the Combat Mission Community. Due credit of original work is given below: